Different
by Recklessly Impulsive
Summary: Here's the thing; when you're different, everybody stares – looks at you; judges your position in the world. Being different is almost like a curse. It's my curse. It wasn't always that way – an event caused me to earn the title, and the treatment of someone different; imperfect; unusual; odd. SasuNaru - other pairings.
1. Prologue

_Different_

* * *

_Hi, everyone!_

_Okay, so first off, my name is Kieran, and I'm a male yaoi writer. I've been writing for almost three years now and it's something I would love to pursue, which is why I'm going to be studying English and Drama at Goldmsmiths University in September! I'm very excited to get started._

_Don't be afraid to ask me anything - I have had girls in the past asking me about the act of gay sex and stuff; I'm plenty open-minded, so ask til your heart is content. _

_I used to frequent the GrimmIchi fandom, but this idea I had suited SasuNaru a lot better, and therefore I ended up here! Now, my skills are dominant in the smut department, but hopefully you can stomach my writing as well! _

_I promise I won't let you down! _

_Anywho, enjoy!_

* * *

**Ages: **_(Other characters ages will be mentioned in the chapters they make their first appearance in.)_

Naruto - Seventeen.

Ayame - Nineteen.

Teuchi - forty-seven.

**Synopsis:**

Here's the thing; when you're different, everybody stares – looks at you; judges your position in the world. Being different is almost like a curse. It's my curse. It wasn't always that way – an _event_ caused me to earn the title, and the treatment of someone _different; imperfect; unusual; odd. _SasuNaru - other pairings.

**Warnings:**

**Contains**: Cursing; child abuse; violence; sex; non-con; severe angst; death; hints of suicide; homophobia.

**Disclaimer: **

I do not own Naruto! If I did, I'd be rich and spend my days having the artists draw them in perverted situations! *sighs* A boy can dream!

* * *

**Prologue**

* * *

Here's the thing; when you're different, everybody stares – looks at you; judges your position in the world. Being different is almost like a curse. It's my curse. It wasn't always that way – an _event_ caused me to earn the title, and the treatment of someone _different; imperfect; unusual; odd. _

Sometimes I'm not sure I can handle it. I want to jump off the nearest bridge; slit my wrists – stand on a frozen block with a noose around my neck, like that logical thinking riddle, where you have to figure out how he killed himself, with the clues only being a puddle of water.

I like to think of myself as semi-intelligent, although I didn't work that out myself – my _friend_ told me. I was so surprised.

Intrigued, though.

As I walk through the busy streets of Konoha, people that have spent minutes staring before, all do the same, almost like it's a routine for them. Children come up to me and call out to their mothers, saying, "Look, Mummy; it's a kitty cat!" which is very mortifying, to say the least.

I'm not even sure what's keeping me on this earth.

My _friends_?

My perverted Granddad?

My bossy Grandma?

The little fox I feed after college?

That's the thing – I just do not _know._

Ha-ha! What the hell is wrong with me? Here I am talking about suicide and depressing stuff, when all it's doing is making it worse. I'm such a moron sometimes.

I'm hungry. Yeah. Maybe that's why I'm thinking stuff of that calibre. Guess I should really get something to eat. The restaurant that I eat at almost every day is good to me. They don't stare like the rest of them. They give me my privacy, and they treat me normally.

They're almost like another family to me.

_A bigger one. _

See, my mum and dad died when I was very young. For personal reasons, I really don't want to relive the event, so I'm not going to go into detail.

The old man is great to me on my down days. He gives me free meals, and tries to cheer me up in any way he can. Sometimes I smile at his jokes, or the faces he makes with the ramen noodles. But it's never really enough to bring me back to my usual carefree self.

If you haven't already noticed, I'm actually experiencing one of my down moods right now. College was just terrible for me today. I can usually block out all the mocking and the hate, but the intensity of it was absolutely awful.

"_You don't belong here, so stop pretending that you do!" _

"_S-sorry, N-Naruto, b-but my f-father s-s-said I can't t-talk to y-ou an-anymore." _

"_You deserve those scars, you freak!" _

"_No one gives a shit about you. Not even your own family." _

"_Just do us all a favour and die already."_

People can be so harsh, don't you think? I'm not sure what I did in the day for them to suddenly say all of that. I mean, they've said similar things to that before, but never quite as extreme. I wasn't sure how to take it all in at the time. I lost a friend, and was pretty much told to end my own life.

It took a lot for me not to just say, "It's not like I haven't already thought about it," but what would that do, really? It's not like they would have cared, either way.

I've learnt to accept my fate in the world – that I'll never be accepted by these people.

Maybe there is a part of this earth for people like me? The unfortunate ones that have suffered, yet still suffer because people are so blind to the truth and the reality of life, that they would rather pick on the weak instead of try to help them through their problems.

For God sake; I lost my only friend in the world today, all because her father said she couldn't speak to me anymore. What am I? The devil? Satan himself, is that it?

I don't know what to do anymore. I feel like my bones are slowly starting to disappear, and soon I will just be a pile of skin on the sun-kissed ground.

Holding back tears, I enter my favourite restaurant and immediately locate the old man. Teuchi is his name, and he's the sweetest guy I know. His daughter, Ayame, is stunningly beautiful, and I've come to think of her as the sister that I never had.

"Hey, old man, how's business today?" I say, trying to keep the smile in my voice to avoid suspicion.

"The usual – doesn't start booming until you arrive, my dear boy!" he replies cheerfully. I must be doing well to mask my upset. Odd, considering today was so tremendously shit! I should get a medal for getting away with it! "What's the matter? Was it those kids again?" Teuchi gestures to my eyes with concern. I'm not sure why – I haven't been crying, as far as I know.

"Ha-ha. You saw that, huh, old guy?"

He winks at me and pulls an in-all-seriousness face.

I bury my face in my hands and groan. "Just assholes telling me that I don't belong and how I should just do the world a big favour and die. You know, the usual stuff. And I lost my one and only friend because apparently I can't speak to her anymore." The old man shakes his head while mumbling something under his breath that I don't quite catch. He then begins the process of forming his amazing ramen noodles that I love so much. I can tell that he's thinking on what I said, but I don't want to interrupt his magic at this moment.

"Is that my little ray of sunshine?!" Ayame mumbles through a door, the volume increasing as she gets further. I crack a grin – trying to seem less dead than I am.

"Hey, big sis, you joining us for dinner?!" the tone of my voice is excited and quit ecstatic; Teuchi reads through me, though – cue another head shake and slightly chapped lips passing a quiet sigh. It really upsets me when I see him do that. I don't want to upset him – I don't want to upset his daughter, either. A part of him _must_ understand that to some degree.

Ayame smiles broadly, tying her apron at the back as the door moves to close. "I sure am, Naru!" she announces cheerfully, standing next to her father; offering a hug to his side. The old man secures a small smile that doesn't reach his eyes.

Ayame doesn't notice.

"Anything exciting happen at college today?" there's a smile in her voice as she turns to the back, checking how the soup is getting on that she must have prepared a few moments before I arrived. It smells delicious, and I will not be against doing a taste test for her!

Nodding my head mutely, I make up some story about what happened in one of my classes. Ayame doesn't actually know how bad I have it there, and I don't want her to know. If she got hurt trying to defend me, I would never forgive myself and I might just become the _monster _everyone makes me out to be every day.

She laughs enthusiastically, sitting down with me as Teuchi hands over my steaming bowl of Miso Pork Ramen, which I instantly start to devour. This is the stuff that I live for: eating ramen and hanging with Ayame and the old guy.

I couldn't ask for anything more, really.

* * *

_So, that's the end of the prologue! _

_If it sucks, I truly am sorry, but I'm not used to writing Naruto fanfiction. I had this story going when he was with Kiba called _The New Kid In School, _but I completely lost interest in it, as it was very spoof-esque!_  


_I really hoped you enjoyed this, though, or at least stomached it!_

_Thanks for reading, those that do. _

_I feel like a desperate weirdo for asking, however, could you please drop me a review and let me know what you think?_

_Love, Kieran. _


	2. Observe

_Different _

* * *

_Thank you to those of you who reviewed! Even a single word is fine for me, so don't worry about being lazy. I am sometimes with my reviews - just anything to let me know if I'm doing okay or not is enough!_

_Enjoy the first official chapter! _

* * *

**Ages:**

Jaraiya - Fifty-three.

Hinata - Seventeen.

Kiba - Eighteen.

Shikamaru - Nineteen.

Shino - Nineteen.

Gaara - Sixteen.

Sasuke - Twenty-four.

Sakura - Seventeen.

**Synopsis:**

Here's the thing; when you're different, everybody stares – looks at you; judges your position in the world. Being different is almost like a curse. It's my curse. It wasn't always that way – an _event_ caused me to earn the title, and the treatment of someone _different; imperfect; unusual; odd. _SasuNaru - other pairings.

**Warnings:**

**Contains**: Cursing; child abuse; violence; sex; non-con; severe angst; death; hints of suicide; homophobia.

**Disclaimer:**

I do not own Naruto! If I did, I'd be rich and spend my days having the artists draw them in perverted situations! *sighs* A boy can dream!

* * *

**Observe**

* * *

"WAKE UP, BRAT!"

I spring to a sitting position and scream from the cold water dampening my hair and freezing the very blood that pumps through my veins. Dramatic, yes, but I have a right to be after being so rudely awoken!

Which reminds me.

My head snaps to the side and I scowl so deeply my lips almost become paralysed. Jiraiya, my perverted Grandfather is grinning at me from ear to ear, making jokes about how I must have woken up in a cold sweat, and did I need a hug to cheer me up because I'm such an adorable princess.

He's lucky he's family and the only permanent place of residence I have to stay in this town, or he would totally be out the window right now. Who the hell comes into their Grandsons room at eight-thirty in the morning and chucks a cold bucket of water over them?

Apparently, this guy.

"What the hell is wrong with you, you old pervert?" I glared in his general direction, showing him how infuriated I am with his methods of waking me up. Jiraiya ignores my anger, proceeding to explain that I need to be out of the house in ten minutes, as I have college – not to mention that he has a lady friend coming over.

I try not to face-palm at this.

This guy is such a pervert, I feel sorry for the women that have to remain in his company for more than five minutes when he's being a total sleaze. "Yeah, okay, perv." Not a moment later, I throw the covers off and launch out of bed, heading for the shower quickly. I don't want to leave the house smelling like last night's sweat.

* * *

Luckily, I make it to college on time. Not just before the bell rang, but five minutes before, giving me enough time to find a seat near the back, where nosy teenagers couldn't stare at me.

Several minutes later and I notice Hinata trailing in behind Kiba Inuzuka, some dude obsessed with animals, to the point where he sometimes tries to smuggle his little white dog into the classroom. He gets let off easily, most of the time, as one of the college ambassadors happens to be his mother.

If I weren't in the situation that I'm in, I'd probably find it amusing that his mum got him out of all these situations, but even if I were to make a jibe, I'd only be ridiculed. Anything that I say or do is a sin – they love emphasising that with words like: monster; freak; devil and any other ones that relate to something out of the ordinary.

Spending most of my time at the back of the class, I always find myself observing people. It's the only thing I can do that relates to others. This guy that takes a seat in the middle of the room is Shikamaru Nara, who loves to sleep through lectures, yet still manages a perfect score on any exam he has ever sat. The teachers believe that he is a genius. Most of them do, anyway. Some of the more pompous ones assume that someone is giving him all the answers.

Then again, the only other person in the class that gets every single answer right is Shino Aburame, and I doubt that he and Shikamaru secretly cheat off each other. Shino is the quietest kid that I have ever met. He always wears something to cover the lower half of his face, as well as adorns sunglasses twenty-four-seven.

If he was a woman, I would assume that he was in an abusive relationship.

There's a foreign prodigy that sits at the back with me, only on the other side of the room. It's difficult to chance glances at him without being caught in a sea-foam green stare that reaches for your very soul. Once I felt like I was dying just from the sheer intensity of it. His hair is the colour of blood and his skin is sickly pale... A little like someone that just walked through the door, a book bag slung over his shoulder and cold eyes regarding not a single person in the room.

"Are you a new kid?" Kiba spoke up.

Immediately, the black haired guy glared harshly and threw his book bag at the ground. "No," he muttered with distaste and narrowed his eyes further.

"An intruder, then?" the brunet countered with a coy-grin, preparing to attack if he needs to. Coming from a savage family, he has weird animal instincts and a bordering on the sociopathic obsession for blood. While I've never seen Kiba in a fight, I have no doubt that it would be a sight to see.

The new person rubbed his temples and sighed. "Wrong again," he said, reopening his eyes after resting them and flicking the eclipse portals over the room. "I'm actually you're new teacher, as your previous teacher decided he was wasting his time with a class as hopeless as you lot," pausing briefly, he focused on Shikamaru drooling on the desk and wrinkled his nose in disgust. "After being here for no longer than three minutes, I can see why."

"Hey, you can't just say shit like that!" someone hollered near the centre, gaining some shouts of approval from his classmates.

Small lips thinned, a pale hand rose, fingers pressing together and forming a click. Everyone just stared at the guy. I was starting to feel sorry for him at this point. I'm not going to lie – my class can be a handful. Honestly, I can see why our old teacher left, too.

"My name is Sasuke Uchiha." Strangely, the room fell completely silent as his name was uttered. His face gave nothing away as he proceeded, "When you are in my class, you are here to learn and nothing else. You can leave your miscellaneous activities for after my class, or when the college day is over."

"Sasuke Uchiha? The _Sasuke _Uchiha?" Sakura Haruno squealed, clasping her hands together dreamily. I tried not to throw up at the sight of the bitch. She makes me feel like shit every day, and I cannot stand her. Her voice is irritating – she's a flat-chested whore with a forehead the size of Russia.

The teacher now known as Sasuke doesn't pay her any mind, instead moving on with his speech. "Throughout the rest of the course, I do not want to hear a single utterance of a whisper regarding who is sleeping with who tonight, or where the next college party is being held – I do not care; it has nothing to do with the criteria of this subject. Are we understood?" This guy has a lot of balls to say all of that to his _new _students who he only just met.

Curiosity getting the better of me, I peered over at Gaara, just to see if he would react to what was just said to him. This was a criminal psychology class, after all. Gaara, to me, was only a core-shy away from being deemed mentally insane. The way he looks at you almost paralyses you on the spot.

He looked completely unphased. There wasn't a single expression on his face that would indicate irritation toward the set of rules the new teacher provided. Then again, Gaara didn't really care about anything – he only spoke when answering a question.

Sasuke seemed satisfied with the silence, meaning that no one was going to make an objection. Sakura continued to drool over the guy, playing with her light-rose-petal pink hair. I can't help being amused when Sasuke doesn't show an ounce of interest in her. Then again, that makes girls even more crazy for a guy when they act aloof.

"Now that we fully understand each other, I'm going to assess how much you already know," he announced with affluence, waiting for the students to get the message and take out either their laptops/androids/tablets and begin writing. He probably didn't expect me to take out a notepad, judging by the odd look he gave me. His eyes locked on mine for a brief moment as he asked me if I would be able to keep up with the rest of the class, who all have electronic devices.

Nodding my head, I click the end of my pen and scrawl 'question one' on the left side of the paper, preparing for his little quiz. While I may not be intelligent, I like to think of myself as at least good at the profession I wish to pursue when I'm older and wiser, with a degree in criminal psychology.

"Question one: what are the seven universal micro expressions?" Some hesitated before they began typing, while I was quick to jot down each one that came to my head.

_Fear, anger, disgust, surprise, happiness, sadness, contempt._

"Question two: how can we tell that President Nixon is lying during his declaration that he did not engage in sexual relations with another woman?" A few members of the room snickered at the question – just goes to show their immaturity.

_He stepped back and crossed his arms over his chest, which is a subconscious way of saying I'm not saying another word with the body._

"Question three: what is a polygraph?"

_A lie detector test, examining the beats per minute or heart rate, to see if there is a rise, which would tell us they were lying. _

"Question four: who lasted as his own lawyer for over seven years?" I smile a little because not only is the answer easy, but the answer is also one of my all time favourite serial killers to study.

_Ted Bundy. _

"Question five: what are three things that could point to someone possibly turning out as a psychopath when they're older?" Most people had to think for this one, and so did I. I mean, there's the most common one, which is, _the abuse of animals from a young age. _Other than that one, it's pretty difficult to discern. Guess I'm just gonna have to guess on this one.

_Witnessing a traumatic event, a lack of need to socialise or be a part of the community. _

"Final question, as these are basic and those of you that don't at least get half are leaving my class; what's the different between a serial arsonist and a pyromaniac?" I'm beginning to wonder how many are going to be left in the class after this. Not that I would miss a lot of the students – hell they can all go.

Actually, I don't mind Gaara. He hasn't said a single thing to me, so I doubt he's said anything mean or disrespectful. Mentally shrugging, I write down the final answer.

_Serial arsonists use fire for destruction and power; pyromaniacs have an obsession with fire and will watch as the fire they created burns a building to the ground, while an arsonist will take their leave. _

I'm not as confident with that one as I could be... I'm sure I got more than half, though. It's kind of making me nervous thinking I might get kicked out of the class because I'm not intelligent enough to get a few answers right! Shit, maybe I am as worthless and pathetic as most people say.

* * *

After everyone had finished writing the final answer, Sasuke asked six individuals for their answers. He corrected them if they were wrong, and I was happy to find out that I had all six right! I left the second the bell went, so I could run to Ichiraku Ramen and tell the old man and Ayame the good news!

As expected, they were proud of me.

It's silly, I know. But I was proud of myself, too.

* * *

_And that's the first chapter complete! _

_Woohoo! _

_Or as Naruto would say, "Believe it!" _

_I'm not sure if I'm happy with this being as short as it is, but it's just to introduce some of the characters - pinpoint the main ones and indicate why he feels like a complete outsider. :x_

_I hope I managed to show that, at least a little! _

_Anyway, thank you for reading, those that do. :D _

_Leave a review for aspiring writer? _

_Yes?_

_No?_

_Maybe?_

_Who cares?_

_Not on your life?_

_Ha-ha! I'm a weirdo, I know this much. _

_Love, Kieran. _


	3. Fair

_Different _

* * *

_Sorry for the long wait! I've been busy preparing for University, so inspiration doesn't come around that often. Also, since learning to touch type, I have completely lost my ability to type fast with just two fingers... But don't worry, if I work to get faster at touch typing, I should return to my normal speed! _

_Thank you for reviewing and enjoy chapter two! _

* * *

**Synopsis:**

Here's the thing; when you're different, everybody stares – looks at you; judges your position in the world. Being different is almost like a curse. It's my curse. It wasn't always that way – an _event_ caused me to earn the title, and the treatment of someone _different; imperfect; unusual; odd. _SasuNaru - other pairings.

**Warnings:**

**Contains**: Cursing; child abuse; violence; sex; non-con; severe angst; death; hints of suicide; homophobia.

**Disclaimer:**

I do not own Naruto! If I did, I'd be rich and spend my days having the artists draw them in perverted situations! *sighs* A boy can dream!

* * *

**Fair**

* * *

For some reason I wake up thinking today is going to be a good day. Immediately, I decided not to question my own logic and just get on with it. It wasn't long after I woke up that I left the house before Jaraiya even had the chance to shoo me away.

Don't start to get the wrong idea here. I'm not walking to college with a skip in my step, and I'm certainly not smiling with glee. I'm old enough to know that when I get there, all of that will change when I get my usual greeting. Then again, yesterday I managed to escape it. Probably because I wasn't entering the building at my usual time.

I won't be today, either, fortunately, so maybe I'll get around them again?

No! I can't allow myself to think like that and produce false hopes. It will only end badly when what I wish wouldn't happen, _happens. _

As I arrive at the gate, I notice someone stood outside reading the schools rules. For some reason they stuck the plaque right outside the college, in shining gold letters. I know them off by heart now.

_Konoha College has a zero tolerance for bullying. _

_No loitering. _

_Public displays of affection are not permitted here._

_Respect the fire drill; follow instructions. _

_Abuse to any member of staff will lead to immediate expulsion. _

The first one makes me laugh the most – sardonically, of course. If that rule were really true, then my life wouldn't be as shit as it is here. Even the teachers look at me with scorn.

Oddly, now that I think about it, the new teacher didn't look at me any different than the rest of the class. Then again, he was pretty much glaring or scowling one hundred percent of the time. Maybe he just doesn't care about anything? One of those apathetic guys that just get on with their life and don't have much involvement in anyone else?

Somehow, even though I don't know the guy, it suits him well. It might be that the only expressions I have witnessed from him are negative ones, or it could be how he responds to everyone – if the shoe fits, I guess.

My musings are cut short when a car pulls up to the curb, the vehicle purring and waiting for its time to rest. After I come back down to earth, I notice that the person staring at the set of rules is actually the guy that I was contemplating about.

How embarrassing.

Don't you just hate it when that happens?

I blush a little and hope that he didn't notice me. How awkward would it be if he had glanced at me during my brief brainstorming? In those types of situations, you don't really know how to _respond. _Well, I certainly don't. Not sure about the rest of the world.

A part of me starts to wonder why he's staring so intently at the rules. Maybe he's trying to be an authoritative figure, and can only do so once he has learnt the proper rules? I shrug to myself and move to pass through the gates when a voice stops me.

"Uzumaki, is it?" a cold voice inquires a few meters away.

I turn awkwardly while rubbing the back of my head. "Yes. Just Naruto, if you don't mind?" Trying to sound polite can be difficult when you're also wondering if they're going to turn out to be just like all the other students and teachers. My heart began beating wildly in my chest, expecting the parade of insults and criticisms to come pouring out of those pale lips.

Sasuke inclines his head to the left and scowls at a group of students messing around on the grassy fields just outside the campus grounds. "I can't help revealing to you that I was, let's say surprised by, not only the way you kept up with the rest of the class, rather also how you faired," his words were drenched in honestly. I wanted to think he was mocking me – it didn't seem that way, however. "That's not me admitting that I assumed you're some kind of simpleton, just that with your notepad and pen and how you present yourself, I couldn't help questioning your intelligence." He wasn't going to apologise to me. I could see that in his face.

"Um, thank you, I guess?" How do you really respond to something like that?

Raven locks flutter in the breeze as his eyes meet mine for a breath moment, oceanic clashing with onyx in a standoff. "There's no need to thank me." Is all he said, showing no sign of anything as he passed me at the gates, milk-bottle white hands stored in his pockets. From here, I could see that his posture was amazing.

It was so different to how I held myself; slightly slanted, no symmetry whatsoever. Even his hair suited him perfectly, while my untamed golden locks hung wherever they wanted to. There's no point making myself look good for these people – they don't give a shit how I appear. As long as I have these marks on my face, there will be no place in society for me.

* * *

The class seemed small today. Sasuke must have stayed good to his promise of kicking those that got less than half out of his classroom. Just as I expected, I didn't miss any of the recipients that were dropped. No one likes me in this class to begin with, so what's the point in caring?

I'm sure I would have been a naturally caring person. It's been sucked out of me. Maybe I'll never regain it? It doesn't look like there's ever going to be a chance for me to delve that deep into my past and recollect those feelings.

After my glance around the classroom, everyone was pretty much the same as yesterday. None of this surprises me. It's mundane. I'm looking to be taught what I need to in order to make a living from this. Not that I really care that much about the money. I just want to be able to enjoy the place of work that I reside in when I'm employed somewhere.

"Psychopaths, in particular, are naturally trained liars. They can convince people that what they are saying is true because they believe it themselves. This is why it is so difficult to call them on their actions, and why their charm is so infectious that it can draw others in." Everyone was listening as Sasuke spoke. For someone that appeared to hate everything, he sure knew what he was talking about. "This is how Ted Bundy was able to remain his own lawyer for seven years. It is also how he managed to avoid arrest before his actual prosecution. Yes, what he was doing excited him, as it satisfied the bloodlust, yet he still managed to persuade the police that he was innocent," he informed easily, gesturing to the board, which showed several pictures of Ted Bundy, ones that could easily fool the public he was just a normal guy.

"Sh-shouldn't th-there be a h-hint of regret in h-his eyes?" Hinata stammered out quietly. It kind of hurt to hear her voice. She was the only one that used to hang out with me at lunch. And I knew that she had been casting shy glances at me throughout yesterday's lesson. I just couldn't look at her – all of it was so painful. I don't harbour any feelings for Hinata, she was just a very good friend. This didn't stop my mind from forming thoughts of my heart exploding.

Maybe it _should _have.

At least then the _pain _would have vanished.

Her silent apologies had gone on blind eyes.

Sasuke regarded her with a blank stare. Her cousin, Neji offered a cold look that went unnoticed by the man completely. I could never understand Neji. For the most part he was quiet. Yet, he was popular amongst the students. It could have something to do with his status, I suppose.

The Hyuga family owned a multinational company, with enough money to commit a murder and be able to get away with it. So, I suppose, naturally the students picked up on this quickly – taking him in as a friend, instead of an enemy.

I would be able to understand if they secretly did see him as an enemy. The guy could be a bit of a douche. Sometimes he's quite cold with his sister when she does something that is unbecoming of her. For the whole time that we were friends, I knew that the guy was disappointed in her and probably held back from hurting me.

"Serial killers are not empathetic towards others and that is why you cannot see one shred of remorse. It is also how their charm works. When they are neutral, people don't see the evil intent that they hide," Sasuke moved to the other side of the room by the end of his speech and snatched someone's phone off them, placing it in his breast pocket. "Does that make sense to everyone?" His eyes locked on the victim he had confiscated the device off, their face a complete blank as their head tipped forward in confirmation.

As Sasuke continued his lecture to the class, my brain worked with my eyes to find a glimpse of anything in Ted Bundy's pictures that could lead towards a revelation. This revelation being evidence of his crime. The face can tell you everything – you just need to find the right angle.

One of my ears listens out for anything important in Sasuke's lecture. I hear that you can tell someone is about to commit homicide by the position of their face. Apparently their eyes narrow, their nose scrunches up, brows pull together and the left side of their lips pull down, overall creating a very aggravated look.

I seem to recall witnessing this before when I had been locked out of the house one night. The pervert didn't do it on purpose. His shack was burnt down during the night and we were told to evacuate the building until it was prepared. My Grandfather had somewhere to stay, but I didn't. I wasn't gonna go see the old man and ask to stay there; he has enough trouble paying the rent without another mouth to feed.

Anyway, I had been sleeping on a bench. Cliche, right? Some guys had gotten into a fight over some woman. It sounded to me like she was engaged to one of them, but the other man was looking to get with her that night, even though she had presumably refused him. Her fiancé must have taken a large amount of offence and the next thing I hear is a gunshot. The position of his face looked a lot like the one Sasuke was describing, so maybe there is some truth to that theory.

It would be great if I had a laptop, so I could research into this.

"Uzumaki, since you like to fall asleep in my class, you can tell us an interesting fact about this subject," he sounded serious. I hadn't even dozed off. My eyes were downcast as I remembered the event, so it seemed like I was indeed asleep.

_Shit! I need to think of something fast._

Needing to stall, I make 'um'ing' noises, while I focus on the board, pretending that I have something and it's at the top of my head, I just need a minute. He flashes a quick smirk before regaining his neutral expression.

"Give it up, fox-face, you've got nothing!" Kiba teases from the second to the front row, trying to knock my confidence. A couple of other students do the same thing, almost stopping my analysis.

_Wait a minute..._

"In the picture at the top right of the screen, Bundy is raising his hand and voice in anger, seemingly outraged by the accusations made against him. He's trying to feign anger, but if you look closely at the bridge of his nose, there are no creases, not to mention his chin is pointing down – if he were truly angry, it would be thrusting upwards," I finish with an inhale of breath and hope that I didn't stutter.

Sasuke stares at the picture I was referring to and clicks next on the remote that he must have stored in his pocket, unless he's some type of magician. Red circles appear on the screen and he points to the two circling the areas of the face that I pointed out words showing up next to them in a text box summarising what I said.

"As you can see from the board, Uzumaki is correct," he announces, nodding in my direction. I can't help wanting to rub it in Kiba's face, however I stop myself because I'm not as petty and pathetic as they are. "Inuzuka, did you spot that?" The tattoo-faced dog lover tries not to gasp when Sasuke's critical gaze is turned on him.

He stammers a couple of times before he gets the words out. It's a lie when he says that he did. Everyone knows that he's lying, but they'd still rather believe him over me, which is why they nod along when he says Naruto saw it in his notes and copied them, naming me a cheater at the end. The students begin to jeer until Sasuke whistles to keep them all in check.

"You're training to be criminal psychologists and you can't detect one simple lie from an amateur?" Sasuke berates the class. "Hand me your notes," he demands. Kiba immediately relinquishes them and attempts to remain calm. The class watches in anticipation as he reads through them, throwing them back down at the end and moving on.

It seems that he saw no sign of the information in there, to me! I knew that I wasn't lying. Amazing how he didn't just automatically assume that I was.

Maybe...

Just maybe...

There's hope for me after all!

* * *

_Chapter two complete!_

_I know these are really short at the moment and I apologize for that, but there is more to the plot than what meets the eye. If you're intuitive, maybe you've figured it out already, but for those of you that have been working your brain, it won't be that long before it kicks off! _

_Please be so kind as to let me know how I am doing. I know my writing style is very amateurish, but any advice can help me on my way to improving! _

_Thanks again, loyal readers! _

_Love, Kieran. _


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